Celebrate love with these sinful desserts

Chocolate, strawberry and champagne are synonymous with a romantic celebration such as Valentine’s Day. This being said, I’ve always been a valentine heathen, regarding it as just another Hallmark holiday. However, one February 14th, I happened to be dining at a Mexican restaurant in San Francisco where the Valentine’s Special, pots du crème and the healthier runner-up, a flan, had me completely smitten and borderline infatuated in that order! These little spell-binding glasses of goodness are sure to make a lasting impression. The hint of cinnamon in rich chocolate with the slight tartness of strawberries is nothing short of perfection. Little wonder that the Aztecs regarded chocolate as food of the Gods. For those who aspire for something lighter, the flan, which is a luscious custard, dressed up crème brulee style, with a garnishing of strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, is simple yet sumptuous. The icing on the proverbial cake is that both desserts are easy to create but will appear like you’ve cooked your heart out!

Mexican pots du creme

Ingredients

• 350 grams dark chocolate
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs (or 4-5 egg yolks)
• 1-2 tbsp sugar (if necessary)
• ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 2 tbsp Irish Crème (optional)

Method
Chop chocolate evenly, melt in a double boiler and set aside. Combine eggs and sugar in another bowl gently with a whisk. Combine milk and cream in a pan and heat over low flame to about 710C. Remove from heat and let it stand for a few minutes. Pour in some of the warm cream-milk mixture into the egg mixture to temper. Then slowly add the rest of it and mix gently with a whisk. Heat this prepared mixture slowly, stirring constantly until it thickens for about 8-10 minutes (approximately 760C) to a thick smooth consistency. Make sure you do not over-cook else it will curdle. Finally, pour this custard over the melted chocolate, add the Irish crème and cinnamon and mix until it is of a smooth, homogenous consistency. Pour into small ramekins or glasses and refrigerate for at least 3-5 hours or until set. Garnish with strawberries and fresh cream.

Flan

Ingredients

• 2 cups toned milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp extract
• 3-4 tbsp or as per taste granulated sugar/brown sugar/equivalent quantity sugar substitute
• ½ teaspoon flour

Method
Put the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl and gently whisk together. Heat milk and vanilla bean/extract over medium heat until almost boiling. Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Then pour into ramekins. Set the ramekins in a hot water bath so that the water comes halfway up the sides. Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes at 1750C until the custard is lightly set. They should be slightly wobbly in the center. Place on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate for 3-5 hours. When it has set, you can serve as is or sprinkle a little granulated sugar and torch the sugar evenly to get a crisp cover. Garnish with blueberry filling or any other fruit of choice.

(The writer owns Zsáraliz Patisserie and Delicatessen)